On my way to Dallas!

September 18, 2012By Karen Barnett No Comments

Wednesday morning I’m heading out for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference in Dallas, Texas. Though I’ve been to national conferences before, familiarity never stops me from turning into a puddle of nerves. Add in the fact that I’m a finalist for the ACFW Genesis Contest for unpublished writers and maybe you can understand why … Read More

Hope Chronicles is Coming!

September 12, 2012By Karen Barnett No Comments

I am thrilled to announce a special blog event, The Hope Chronicles, coming in November. Hope Chronicles will link together five authors, five heroines, and five blogs, and will culminate in one special, hand-inscribed journal to be given away as a grand prize. There will also be individual prizes unique to each heroine and her … Read More

Braiding a Story

August 27, 2012By Karen Barnett 2 Comments

Yesterday, my 10-year-old daughter taught me how to do a fishtail braid. I twisted, gathered, and plaited her long, blonde hair, as a familiar tension gathered in my chest. I would glance to the left, knowing I needed to gather a lock from over there and weave it to the right, somehow combining it in … Read More

Friday Book Pick: BE STILL MY SOUL by Joanne Bischof

August 24, 2012By Karen Barnett 10 Comments

“Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.” (Be Still … Read More

Friday Book Pick: RARE EARTH by Davis Bunn

August 17, 2012By Karen Barnett 1 Comment

Author Davis Bunn is the master of writing page-turning fiction and his character Marc Royce reads much like a big screen action hero. In Bunn’s newest novel, Rare Earth, the second installment of the Lion of Babylon series, Royce takes his heroics to Africa. (Even though it is a series, Rare Earth easily stands alone). Here is … Read More

Celebration!

August 1, 2012By Karen Barnett 4 Comments

If you follow my FaceBook author page, you heard this great news months ago, but I have yet to officially celebrate here on my blog. Here’s the scoop: Time to CELEBRATE!!! At the end of May, I received the news that I had made the finals for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Genesis Contest … Read More

Friday Book Pick: HIDDEN IN DREAMS by Davis Bunn

July 27, 2012By Karen Barnett No Comments

What happens when unrelated people around the globe experience identical terrifying dreams of world-wide financial collapse? In the novel Hidden In Dreams, all eyes turn to psychologist and dream expert Elena Burroughs for answers. Are these simple nightmares or predictions of a grim future? As the clock ticks toward impending doom, Elena forms an unlikely … Read More

Friday Book Pick: Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

June 29, 2012By Karen Barnett 5 Comments

I’ve heard people argue that they dislike Christian fiction because it’s just happy people living happy lives. There are some novels out there that meet this description, but the vast majority of the books I’ve read deal with real people struggling to survive the problems that life throws at them. In Wildflowers from Winter, debut-novelist … Read More

Silk or mud? Let’s hear the real stories.

May 29, 2012By Karen Barnett 2 Comments

Many years ago, I remember wandering through the beautifully restored McCloughlin House which is connected with the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The volunteer tour guide pointed out the family’s belongings, sequestered behind velvet ropes. “Of course, only the Chief Factor’s family enjoyed this level of luxury,” the guide reminded us. “The officers and other … Read More

Songs for a Writer’s Heart

May 24, 2012By Karen Barnett 3 Comments

Do you have songs that break down your defenses and speak straight to your heart? I think we all do. Today, I heard David Crowder’s “Wholly Yours” on the radio. It tickles my imagination. I’ve never heard another song writer work in the word “antonym.” I mean, come on–who does that? And to play with … Read More